Symbian

This December 5th, 2014, the age of Nokia Sync will be over. This affects the Nokia Series 40, Nokia N9, and a number of Nokia Symbian phones. I know you’re sad, and I know you’ll miss it. Today we show respect for the system that kept your Nokia device connected to your PC - love and respect.

There's a report out there today appearing with the public dissemination of nearly-secret information site Public Intelligence that has the USA-centered Homeland Security organization and FBI showing Android as a threat for Malware nationwide. This report shows that because Android 2.3 Gingerbread it still a widespread operating system, Google's own mobile system is a threat to citizens on a level that deserves attention. That's Android 2.3.3 through 2.3.7, released in 2011, and the government suggests that a change needs to be made.

The Symbian mobile operating system had its hay day, and surprisingly it was the number one mobile OS in the world up until a few years ago when Android took the lead. While many phone manufacturers used Symbian, Nokia was most famous for using Symbian (as they also own the platform), and it seems that after a several-year drought, the Finnish company is finally calling it quits for Symbian this summer.

This month's ComScore results for Smartphone Platform Market Share and Smartphone OEM Market Share show first that Apple is rising while Android falls. That much is easy to see as the three-month average ending in January of 2013 is compared to the three-month average ending in October 2012 in the Smartphone Platform arena - Apple rose 3.5 percent in the market while Google (with Android) fell 1.3 percent. Next you'll find that in the Top Smartphone OEM list for those same two three-month periods, both Apple and Samsung grew - at the expense of HTC, Motorola, and LG.

Gresso has a long history of offering up smartphones for wealthy people who care more about appearances than functionality. The company has unveiled a new smart phone today called the Cruiser Titanium. The phone is housed in a single piece case made from titanium.

Nokia has officially pulled down the shutters on Symbian, confirming that the Nokia 808 PureView would be the last device from the company to run the little-loved platform. The news, buried in Nokia's Q4 2012 financial report this morning, painted Symbian as the lingering remnants of the Finnish firm's transition over to Windows Phone, with the 808 PureView being a last-hurrah for the OS.

There's no arguing that the mobile market is here for the duration and that it's Android and Apple's iOS that are dominating the field - this three-month-average comScore report shows that much clearly. What's not quite as clear is how two major manufacturers - Apple and Samsung - are swallowing up the market while LG, Motorola, and HTC (the other top three manufacturers in the market today) are dropping down. Oddly enough, it's not more than a point difference between months that've changed this month other than Apple - they being the only manufacturer to gain more than a single point of the % of mobile subscribers.

Nokia Transport just received an update, adding segmented route maps and more specific directions for those crucial moments when you need to know precisely what to do. This comes in addition to a redesign that updated the interface for a more intuitive, easy-to-take-in experience. The update is for Windows Phone 7 and 8, as well as Symbian.

Just this afternoon Nokia released a significant software update to their Symbian collection of devices going by the name of Nokia Belle Refresh. This update will affect a whole batch of Nokia smartphones including the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01, Nokia X7 and Nokia Oro. The Nokia E6 will also be updated later this week while the Nokia 500 is set to pop up within a few weeks from now.

As we ramp up for IFA 2012, several companies are prepping a collection of devices that will be revealed for Autumn, including quite visibly LG, Samsung, and a set of camera-slinging groups. Have a peek first at the LG Optimus Vu II for universal remote goodness. Next you'll want to have a look at what very well may be the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 as well. Those of you that have no idea what IFA is, you'll want to see this nutshell guide before you dive in.

Nokia may be reading its Windows Phone 8 range, but there's still some Symbian development going on, with Nokia Belle Refresh now being pushed out to owners. The Nokia N8, C7 and X7 are among the bevy of Symbian handsets in like for Belle Refresh, most appealing of which is likely the new browser with support for HTML5 web apps.

Last week we found out about a new SMS security hole in the iPhone that could potentially leave users vulnerable to phishing attempts. To put it simply, this hole allows undesirable people to change the reply-to address on the texts they send you, making them appear to be legitimate and possibly convincing you to hand over some personal details. AdaptiveMobile has published a new report on the security hole, and while it may be scary for iPhone users, it appears that this flaw doesn't affect devices running a different OS.